It is extremely desirable to construct disposable articles, such as absorptive devices, including sanitary napkins, pantyliners, interlabial devices, diapers, training pants, incontinent devices, wound dressings and the like, with a soft cloth-like surface feel to the user's skin at any anticipated points of contact. Likewise, it has long been known in the disposable articles art to construct absorptive devices that present a dry surface feel to the user, especially during use. By having a soft, cloth-like body-facing surface that retains a dry surface feel during use, an absorptive device gives improved wearing comfort, and minimizes the development of undesirable skin conditions due to prolonged exposure to moisture absorbed within the absorptive device.
While woven and non-woven fibrous webs are often employed as body-facing topsheets for absorptive devices because of their pleasant surface feel, macroscopically expanded, three dimensional, apertured polymeric webs such as the commercially successful DRI-WEAVE™ topsheet marketed by Procter & Gamble Company have also been utilized. One viable polymeric web of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,314 issued to Radel et al. on Aug. 3, 1982. Such webs have been shown to exhibit desirable fluid transport and fluid retaining characteristics. Desirable fluid transport characteristics allow the topsheet to acquire fluids, such as urine or menses, and pass to fluid into the absorptive article. Once absorbed into the absorptive article, the fluid retaining feature of the topsheet preferably prevents rewet, i.e., the movement of fluid back through the topsheet. Rewet can be a result of at least two causes: (1) squeezing out of the absorbed fluid due to pressure on the absorptive article; and/or (2) wetness entrapped within or on the topsheet. Preferably, both properties, fluid acquisition and fluid retention, are maximized. Said differently, preferably a topsheet will exhibit high rates of fluid acquisition, and low levels of rewet.
Other macroscopically expanded, three dimensional, apertured polymeric webs are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,045 issued to Ahr et al. on Jul. 31, 1984 discloses a macroscopically expanded three-dimensional polymeric web that exhibits a substantially non-glossy visible surface and cloth-like tactile impression. Ahr et al. teaches the criteria which must be met with respect to the regularly spaced pattern of surface aberrations in order to diffusely reflect incident light and thereby eliminate gloss. Ahr, et al teaches that the surface aberrations in the web should exhibit an average amplitude of at least about 0.2 mils (i.e., 0.0002 inches), and most preferably at least about 0.3 mils (i.e., 0.0003 inches) for a more clothlike or fiberlike tactile impression in the resultant web. Despite its advancements in eliminating gloss, the structure of the surface aberrations of the web in Ahr, et al. can lack desired softness. As recognized in the art, for example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,643, issued to Curro et al. (discussed below), the lack of desired softness is believed to be due to the structure of each aberration, which can be described as having the properties of an “arch” that behaves as a discrete structural unit, resisting deflection. This lack of sufficient deflection detracts from the softness impression experienced by the user's skin.
One proposed solution to improve the softness impression to the web of Ahr et al., was disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,643 (Curro, et al. '643) Curro, et al. '643 discloses a microapertured polymeric web exhibiting a fine scale pattern of discrete surface aberrations. Each of these surface aberrations have a maximum amplitude and, unlike the web structure disclosed in Ahr, et al. at least one microaperature is provided that is substantially coincidental with the maximum amplitude of each surface aberration. The forming of microapertures at the maximum amplitude of each surface aberration provides a volcano-like cusp with petal shaped edges. It is believed that the resultant web surface that is in contact with the human skin is of smaller total area and is less resistant to compressive and shear forces than the unapertured “arch-like” structures taught by Ahr et al.
Although the microapertured film of Curro, et al. '643 imparts superior tactile impression to the skin of the user, it has some drawbacks related to certain fluid handling properties when used as a topsheet in absorbent articles. For example, it has been found that a web as disclosed in Curro, et al. '643, when used as a topsheet on a sanitary pad can permit an unacceptably high amount of rewet, i.e., fluid that returns back to the skin-facing surface of the topsheet after initially having passed through the topsheet to be absorbed by the sanitary napkin. In particular, it appears that a web according to Curro '643 can be more susceptible to rewet under pressure. This is because when such a product is used as a topsheet in a catamenial product, for example, absorbed fluid can be urged back out of the product through the many microapertures of the topsheet. It appears that each of the microapertures in the structure of Curro, et al. '643 can provide a pathway for fluid to escape from an underlying absorbent core in an absorbent article under the pressure of normal wearing conditions. These pathways in the web structures therefore cause decreased fluid retention and increased rewet in the absorbent structures.
Attempts at alleviating the shortcoming of Curro '643, i.e., attempts to both maximize softness and reduce rewet, can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,462 issued to Lee, et al., on May 8, 2001. Lee discloses a compression resistant web comprising rigid polymers. The compression resistance of the rigid polymers helps reduce rewet, but the rigid polymers utilized tend to decrease the softness of the web.
Furthermore, the hydroforming processes disclosed in Curro, et al. '643 and Lee '462 for making macroscopically expanded, three dimensional, apertured polymeric webs results in a formed film that must be dried after hydroforming. Due to the many interstices of the microapertures that can retain water, drying commercial quantities of these webs consumes significant amounts of energy, and can require significant capital investments in drying equipment. One example of an approach to effectively dry such webs is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,422 issued Sep. 22, 1987 to Curro, et al.
One further drawback associated with the webs disclosed in Curro '643 and Lee '462 when used as topsheets on sanitary napkins is the tendency of the microapertures to entrap fluid, such as menses. The entrapment can be in the microapertures themselves and/or between adjacent microapertures. Fluid so entrapped remains at or near the surface of the web, and can, therefore be in contact with the wearer's skin for prolonged periods of time. This contact negatively affects the skin health of the wearer and causes the topsheet to not have a clean appearance post-use.
Another attempt at making a soft, three-dimensional, macroscopically-expanded web having an improved functional surface is U.S. Pat. No. 5,670,110, issued to Dirk, et al. on Sep. 23, 1997. The web of Dirk et al. utilizes fibrils achieved via a screen printing roll. However, screen printing is a relatively slow process for making commercial webs for consumer articles.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to have an improved formed film web that has superior tactile impression and superior fluid handling properties.
Additionally, it would be beneficial to have a formed film web that has superior tactile impression and provides for superior fluid retention and rewet characteristics.
Additionally, it would be beneficial to have a formed film web that has superior tactile impression and provides for superior cleanliness for hygiene articles.
Additionally, it would be beneficial to have an improved process for making a formed film web that has superior tactile impression and provides for superior fluid retention and rewet characteristics.
Finally, it would be beneficial to have an improved apparatus and method of making a forming structure for forming a formed film web that has superior tactile impression and provides for superior fluid retention and rewet characteristics.